British troops on alert for peace mission

8:57AM GMT 14 Nov 2001

THOUSANDS of British soldiers were put on a 48-hour standby today to be the vanguard of an international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.

The troops could be deployed in Kabul and the strategic northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to pave the way for a wider UN force and may also help with essential humanitarian relief work, a spokesman said.

Diplomats are, as yet, unable to confirm a report in a German newspaper that eight Western aid workers arrested for preaching Christianity had been released by the Taliban.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said that British forces "are ready to help in Afghanistan should they be needed".

Speaking in Uzbekistan, he said: "The idea is literally to prepare the ground for a peacekeeping force, and to make sure that such a force can operate successfully in Afghanistan. Discussions are continuing with allies to identify other countries willing to help."

But the troops would not chase Taliban soldiers now on the run. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "There is no intention to deploy the forces in offensive operations against the Taliban. This is just a sensible, precautionary measure on our part.

"Their precise role has yet to be defined. They may well assist in getting the United Nations in on the ground, providing a sort of structure that would help them come in, stabilising the situation."

The notice of 48-hour standby was given "in light of the fluid and rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan," he added.

The soldiers are elements of 3 Commando Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade, including paratroopers and Royal Marines. They would be backed up by a range of supporting assets including Royal Air Force air transport, support helicopters, engineers, logistics teams and bomb disposal experts.

"They are not an aggressive force. They will act as a stabilising force to assist the UN in allowing the transition to a new government. They will give the locals confidence, create the right conditions to allow the humanitarian agencies to do their work." the ministry of defence said.

Today's announcement does not include more than 200 Royal Marines based in the Gulf which London promised two weeks ago for a larger ground operation in Afghanistan, backed up by assorted ships and aircraft carriers.